The Conversation
by Water-Lyly
Summary: This oneshot takes place in New Moon, and it is basically what I think would happen if Edward had picked my attic to hide in while he left Bella. R&R if you want.


**A/N: Hello people! I wonder how many people are actually even on Twilight fanfiction anymore. Anyway, some of you might remember me as that one girl with the story called, "The smell of lillies" that, for various reasons, I have taken down. This, my friends, is a one shot. The only one shot I have ever done, but probably not the last one I will ever do.**

**Anyway, a bit of background info for you: A while back, I fell in love with a guy who didn't love me back, and just a little while ago it happened again. I thought to myself, **_**Bella and Edward are probably the luckiest people on Earth. How did Edward not realize that when he left in New Moon?**_** And so, the idea for this one shot was born, and it's basically a conversation I imagine myself having with Edward, convincing him to go back to Bella, how, if he had talked to me, it would have been different. Okay, I'm sorry you had to read all of that. I'm shutting up now.**

I had read Twilight shortly before seventh grade, and had, like most people, fallen in love with it. I loved the story line and the characters and the sheer humanity of Bella, and how much she reminded me of myself. I had longed to meet Edward, not because I was obsessively in love with him, but because I wanted to talk to him. Just talk for a while, about this or that, what his life as a vampire had been like, etcetera. I didn't want to be a vampire, I didn't want him to fall madly in love with me. I knew he belonged with Bella and absolutely no one else.

So, as I climbed the ladder-like stairs into my attic, looking for some tape to put together a project I was making, I was thinking a bit about what I would say to Edward if I got the chance. Something along the lines of, "Well, if it isn't the famous Edward Cullen," To start off. Perhaps I would talk to him about what it was like to be a vampire. I knew he never needed to sleep, but did he get tired? Did he miss human food? Maybe a few questions about his family as well. How was Esme? What was the color scheme of the house at the moment? How was Alice doing on clothes?

And then, perhaps, I would broach the subject of love. My only question about that would be, "How does it feel to be in love with someone who truly loves you back?" I had been in love before, but never with anyone who returned my feelings. I wondered how it felt, to know that someone cared for you as much as you did them. I had heard that love was the best thing in the world. Was that true? Or, for him, was blood better? All important questions, all I was absolutely dying to ask him.

I found the tape, double sided like I needed, and was about to leave, when a tiny, nearly unnoticeable movement caught in the corner of my eye. My head swiveled automatically, and it took me a few moments to process what I saw.

Once I did, the tape dropped out of my hand. So did the project.

There, in the extreme corner of my attic, sat Edward Cullen. He looked really bad. His eyes were so black they were blue, and they had a feral look about them. He was holding his knees to his chest, dressed in jeans and a sweater, which didn't look like they had been changed anytime recently.

The feral look in his eyes shifted its entirety to me, and centered on my neck. His teeth bared, his entire stature put one word in to my brain. _Run. _

I backed downstairs painfully slowly, afraid to make any sudden movements. I didn't speak, and I only breathed when I absolutely had to.

Slowly, so slowly, I managed to get to the stairs and go down backwards, and then get to my couch. I sat down there and didn't move for about two minutes. Then, I got up and called my friend Angelica.

"Hey Em. Wassup?" she answered the phone. I heard the faint sounds of a video game in the background.

"EDWARD CULLEN IS IN MY ATTIC!!!"

The other end of the phone was quiet except for the video game sounds, which I could now identify as the Mario theme song. "That's real interesting Emma. I gotta go. I'm going to lose my game."

"Screw your game!" I said. "Edward Cullen is in my attic!"

The game noises stopped, so I assumed she put the game on pause. "Sorry, I must have heard you wrong. It sounded like you said that Edward Cullen-"

"IS IN MY ATTIC! AT THIS VERY MOMENT! GET OVER HERE!!!" I almost hung up the phone, and then, just before I did, lifted it back up to my face and said, "Oh, and on the way, stop by the hospital and ask your dad for ten packets of blood."

"What? My dad could get fired!" she replied.

"He will not. And tell him it's for a school project or something! He'll believe you."

"Well, yeah. Fine. I'll be there with the blood pretty soon." She hung up the phone.

One thing I loved about Angelica was that she processed things like, "Edward Cullen is in my attic" very quickly and so I wouldn't have to wait for three days for her to believe me. That was always nice.

I wondered if I should go up to check if he was still there, but the image of his eyes, feral in the blood thirst he felt, held me back. I hoped that ten packets would be enough to hold him. It was human blood, so it should nourish him a bit more than any animal. Of course, it would turn his eyes red. I felt that after the initial shock of finding him in my attic, I could probably handle his eyes turning red.

I sat, watching TV for about thirty minutes. Then, finally, I heard a faint knock on the door, and I was there nearly as fast as the vampire in my attic would have been.

I let Angelica, weighed down by two large bags full of blood packets, in to my house. Thank god my parents were at work. They would never allow any of this to be happening if they were here.

"I hope O negative is all right." She said, a little doubtful. "It was the most that was in stock."

"I doubt that it matters" I told her.

"My dad will be back in about an hour to pick me up. I asked him to bring more blood." She ignored what I said.

"Thank you so much." I said. "I don't know what I would do without you and your doctor dad."

She laughed, and said, "Where is he?"

I pointed up. "You take one bag, I'll take the other."

"Deal." She said.

At the top of the stairs, I looked over to the corner Edward had been in earlier. Thankfully, he was still there. His eyes darted from me to Angelica to the bag in my hand to the bag in hers.

I set my bag down carefully, slowly, and Angelica mimicked me. We then left little by little, leaving the bags for him.

We waited for about thirty minutes before we finally decided to go back upstairs.

"Alright." I told Angelica quietly, although I knew of course that Edward could hear me. "When we go up there, chances are he will have already left, so he probably won't be there."

"Are you talking about me?"

Soft, silken, just a hint of an accent, and also painfully sad. The voice thousands of fan girls would recognize in an instant. The voice of the vampire in my attic.

I didn't speak for a minute, momentarily shocked by his voice. In that span of time, Angelica took over.

"Is it safe for us to come up?" she asked, just a little louder than normal.

He didn't answer for a few seconds, and then he said, "I suppose."

My first impulse was to run up the stairs like a madwoman, but I managed to remember to move slowly.

When he was in sight, he looked only slightly better than before. His pale skin was a bit more flushed, the feral look nearly completely gone from his eyes. Which were, as I had suspected, red.

Angelica stared at him for a moment, and then took out her Nintendo DS lite and sat in a chair in one of the corners, as if she met fictional book characters every day.

I wasn't sure what to do. I mean, honestly. What do you do when your favorite character from the Twilight series comes into your attic and needs your help?

"Was the blood level okay? We'll have more in about thirty minutes. How much do you really need to be okay?" I said all of this incredibly quickly.

He looked at me, eyes curious. "Who are you? How do you know about me?"

"I'm Emma. That's Angelica with the video game. As for how we know about you… Um… you wouldn't believe me if I told you." I shrugged.

Edward shifted his glance to Angelica for a moment, and then looked back. "Interesting. She's not focusing on the game at all. She's listening to our conversation and analyzing everything that's going on around her _except_ the game. Yes, very interesting…"

I knew it was a horrible question to ask, but I had to know. "And… can you read… my mind?"

He looked at me for a second, and a puzzled, sad look came into his eyes. No, no he couldn't.

"Sorry." I said. "It's not like I have any control over it."

He laughed wispily, not so much of a laugh as it was a mask of one. "Right. No control. Although I'm sure it will drive me crazy when I'm back to thinking straight." He seemed lost in thought for a moment, and then he continued, "Do you know, this is the first conversation I've had with anyone in about three months?"

"What about your family?" I asked. "Surely you talk to-"

"They don't call anymore." He said, slightly bitter and slightly sad.

"Why not? What could you have possibly done to make Carlisle and Esme not talk to you anymore?"

He didn't speak. I could tell he was deliberating on whether or not to tell me.

A few seconds later, he looked down at the ground, all bitter humor gone from his face. "I… did something. It was idiotic. It was the best course of action. She'll be happier now…"

**(A/N: Remember, Emma[me] doesn't know about New Moon!)**

"What do you mean? Who will be happier now? Edward? What did you do?" I stared at him, waiting for a straight answer.

He met my eyes, his cheerless and dark, still so dark even after all that blood, and suddenly the situation became clear.

Now, I can't read minds. I have no idea what he was thinking, what his exact words were, but as I stared in to those eyes, I heard three words very clearly. "I left Bella"

I couldn't speak for a minute. I couldn't move. As I stared in to those eyes, speaking so loudly without any words or sound, there was nothing I could say for a long moment. How could this happen? Why would he do this? What purpose could he possibly have for leaving?

Suddenly I snapped out of my trance. "You didn't."

He looked back down at the ground, unsure what to say.

I still stared at him. Then I shook my head. "Wow. You're an idiot."

His head snapped up at that. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. How could you, Edward? Honestly, tell me what was going through your head when you decided to leave the love of your life and run off?"

He was surprised. "Her… her birthday. She cut her finger on a piece of gift wrap… so clumsy… Jasper…" He stared at the ground, teeth bared slightly.

I understood. "He attacked her?" he nodded, still staring at the ground.

"It made me realize how staying there must be hurting her. Putting her in danger. Staying with her was going to kill her. She'll forget me. Humans… your minds are good at forgetting…" he chuckled slightly, but it sounded too sad to be any different than his laugh.

I stared at him. "So you just left? You said goodbye, at least." He nodded. "What did you say?"

I watched him slowly lift his head to look at me, his eyes red and very quickly fading back to black. I watched him play a mental game of ping pong, deciding if he should tell me or not. Finally he said, "I told her so many lies… I told her I didn't love her, didn't want her anymore. I told her I didn't love her…"

"You said that twice." I pointed out.

He ripped his gaze from mine, and said, "Forgive me. I'm not quite myself. I need to hunt."

"You should go hunt, then." I told him. "I mean, I'm not kicking you out or anything, but I'd rather you didn't kill me. Or Angelica, for that matter." I pointed to her.

He looked back up at me, eyes cautious, tone carefully polite. "And… may I come back? I'd forgotten what it was like to have a conversation with someone."

I nodded. "Of course. But go hunt now."

He nodded, and stood up. I stood up too (he was much taller than me, but I had expected that) and walked over to the attic window. In one fluid motion, he jumped out.

I stared at Angelica, who seemed to be staring at her video game with plenty of interest. "Well?" I asked. "What do you think?"

She shrugged. "How long do you think it will take him to hunt?"

I shook my head. "Probably an hour, at least."

She sighed, and we headed back downstairs. We sat on the couch and watched television until Angelica's dad came back, this time with about twenty packets of blood in his possession. He asked us what happened to the other blood. We told him he didn't want to know. I took the blood into the kitchen and set it on the table, and then went back to the couch and read the book I was currently into.

Probably about two hours later, when I was just getting into a really good part of my book, there was a quiet knock on the door. I shut my book, and went to answer it. (Now, kids, don't do this at your house.)

Edward looked much better. The golden color had come back to his eyes, although there was still a hint of red. His skin wasn't as sickly looking. He had changed at some point while he was out, into a new pair of jeans and a red sweater. His eyes still betrayed the incredible pain he was feeling, though. And nothing could change that.

"Hello again." I said, smiling slightly.

"Hello." He studied me for a moment. "Is something wrong?"

I laughed for a moment. "Honestly, I didn't really expect to see you again."

He shook his head. "Honestly, I don't have anywhere else to go."

I realized he was still standing outside, and I quickly moved out of the doorway. "Please, come in. Angelica's dad came with more blood, and took Angelica with him. It's in the kitchen if you want it."

He nodded. "Thank you, Emma. That's very kind. But you'll understand if I resist."

I nodded too. "Yes, of course. I would've gotten ahold of animal blood if I could, but, well, Angelica's dad isn't a veterinarian."

He smiled a little, but the pain in his eyes never left. We were still standing by the door, which I had shut when he came in. I decided it was best to move around. I walked into the living room. I sat on the couch. He sat in the chair opposite me.

"So." I said, not sure what to say. I was just trying to break the awkward silence.

"So." He repeated, a little bit of humor returning to his mood. I was grateful for that. I already felt like an idiot, and awkward silences were no help when it came to making people feel better about themselves.

"You told her you didn't love her, that you didn't want her anymore." I rephrased his earlier statement. "And then…what? You just left?"

He nodded. "I made my family go with me. Alice was so angry at me, as was the rest of the family. They hate moving. I wish there could have been a way… but I couldn't leave anything behind. Not a trace."

I absorbed that for a moment. "So what's the plan? What do you plan to do?"

"I was tracking Victoria for a while, but I didn't do very well. My plan is to stay away from Forks, from… Bella" I heard the pause as he prepared himself to say her name. "as long as possible."

I raised my eyebrows. "But you love her!"

He nodded. "Exactly. That's why I had to leave. She would have died if I stayed."

I shook my head. "No. She would have been _safe_. You would have protected her."

"But what if I couldn't?" He argued. "What if she managed to cut herself around Jasper again, and this time I couldn't stop him from killing her? How could I live with myself if she died because I didn't leave?"

"How could you live with yourself if she died because you left, Edward?" I challenged.

"She will, eventually. She'll grow old and die, like she's meant to." He shook his head. "Maybe she'll even fall in love again."

"She won't." I said. "It's not possible. She'll never get over you. She loved you too much. She may have loved you more than you loved her, even."

He shook his head again. "She's a teenager. She'll get over me. I'm just a boyfriend."

"No you're not! Oh my god, you're blind." I got up and started pacing. "She loves you more than anything in the entire world! You are, or were, the love of her life! She will never get over you! But that's not even the point." I pointed at him, and stood right in front of him. "You love her, don't you?"

"More than words can convey." He answered.

"And she loves you." I said. "Whether you like it or not, she loves you. It's as simple as that."

He stared at me for a moment. "I don't… I don't understand."

I blinked in surprise. "Really. This is simple. I'm a teenager, a young teenager, and I understand it. This isn't hard, seriously. Love is the most important thing in the world. She loves you, and always will. You love her, and you always will. It's as simple as that. Understand now?"

He nodded at first, and then he stopped. His brow furrowed over those golden eyes of his, and he started to shake his head.

I groaned, and covered my face with my hands. I breathed deeply for a long moment. Finally, I uncovered my face, to see him staring at me in concern. When I uncovered my face, he drew in a breath of surprise. "You're crying." He said, uncomprehending.

I _was_ crying. The tears were growing in number. I couldn't believe how horrible this was. "It doesn't matter, Edward. It doesn't matter if Jasper almost killed her, or if you don't feel like you can protect her, or if she's clumsy. It doesn't matter. You love her, and she loves you, and that's it. End of story."

He shook his head. "You're still so young. You're not old enough to understand yet. It's much more complicated than that."

I glared at him with so much force that I saw the tiniest flicker of, if not fear, then anxiety, pierce the back of his eyes. "I'm old enough to understand love. I've fallen twice. Both times, I've come out in pieces. One thing I understand is heartbreak. Don't tell me I'm not old enough to understand, Edward, because I am. I know love. And I know pain. Pain is my room mate. Pain whispered into _his_ ear, showed him all my flaws, encouraged me to tell him my feelings and made him laugh in my face when I shared how I felt. Pain tells me how he'll never love me, how I'm too weird, too shy, too ugly. Pain makes them all laugh at me. Pain is the reason, the reason I retreat into books. Pain keeps me up at night and tells me stories of what my life will be like later on, when I get out of school. It makes me worry I'll never get the job I want, it makes me think I'll never fall in love with someone who loves me back." I was sobbing now, trying to speak articulately despite the tears. I was still glaring at him. "Don't tell me I'm not old enough to understand. Believe me, I am."

I saw him sit back in his seat, ever so slightly. "Alright." His voice was quiet. He was shocked I could feel so much at my age. I collapsed, still sobbing, onto the couch. I buried my face in a throw pillow, trying to quiet down, to stop making such a scene. I had already embarrassed myself enough.

After a few moments, when I had nearly cried myself out, I felt a cold hand on my back. I hadn't heard him move, but Edward was suddenly sitting next to me, comforting me even though he barely knew me. "Would you like something? A glass of water?"

I nodded. "Yes please." I felt his weight leave the couch, and removed my face from the pillow. I curled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I wasn't crying anymore. I heard Edward in the kitchen grabbing a glass out of the cabinet and running the tap. A few seconds later he was back. "Thank you" I said as he handed the water to me. I took a long drink.

He sat across from me in the chair again, watching me. I could tell he was trying to decide if I was going to burst into tears again. I kept drinking the water, until I had run out. I set the empty glass on the table next to me.

"I apologize. It wasn't my intent to make you cry. I didn't realize any of this would affect you this much." He said, when he was fairly sure it was safe to speak.

I shook my head. "It's not your fault." My voice was a bit hoarse. I cleared my throat, and tried to speak again. "Those feelings had been building up for a long time, and something you said triggered it. I'm sorry I exploded at you." I stared at the ground. "Maybe I'm more of a kid than I realized if I'm still throwing temper tantrums."

He chuckled slightly. "Everyone throws temper tantrums, dear. They just get fewer and farther between. I still have them occasionally, and I'm nearly 110." He cleared his throat as well. "Now, who is this boy you're so upset about?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. It was someone I knew. I fell in love. He didn't feel the same. I never got over him completely. But this isn't about me. This is about you." I looked at him, making my eyes intense. "This is about you and Bella."

He cringed at the name, the wound gaping open for all to see. "Yes. Well. I had hoped you wouldn't continue."

"You have to go back." I told him, my voice strong.

"I can't, Emma." His tone matched mine, but it was a little sadder, of course. "You know I can't."

"Yes, you can. You love her. You're dying without her. You have to go back." My eyes stared at him with even more intensity. "And anyway, you said it yourself. She's a danger magnet. She can't walk across a flat, level surface without finding something to trip over." I tilted my head down slightly. "Just because you're gone, it doesn't mean she's any safer. In fact, if anything, she's in even more danger. She could have fallen off a cliff, been hit by a bus, another group of nomads could have come through," I counted all these scenarios on my fingers, watching Edward get more worried and angry with every word. He bared his teeth suddenly, and snarled. It made the hairs on my neck stand up.

"But that's not possible." He said, recovering. "Even her luck isn't that bad.

I remembered something he had said earlier. "You were tracking Victoria before you gave up and came here?" He nodded. "Why?" I asked.

"She's trying to avenge her mate, James, who my family killed. I figured she was looking for me. Last I checked, she was in New Mexico." He shook his head. "I could never catch up with her."

I stared at him. "You killed her mate?"

"My family did, yes. And so she's after us." He stared at his hands for a moment. "But I can't understand why she hasn't made a move yet…" he was lost in thought.

I stared at him for another long moment. "Edward. I want you to think for a moment. You killed her mate."

He sighed. "Yes, we've established that. So, what?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, if I was her, feeling what she was feeling, I'd want you to feel her pain. If I was her, I would-"

His eyes widened in realization. "You would go after Bella." He said, his voice reverent. "Why didn't I see it before?" He asked himself.

"You didn't want to." I answered anyway. "You wanted to believe leaving would keep Bella safe. But it wouldn't of course. Her luck is that bad."

He stood up, abruptly, his eyes on fire. "Excuse me." He said as he pulled out his cell phone. I nodded.

He pushed a few buttons, and held the phone to his ear, pacing back and forth. After a moment, he said into the receiver, "Carlisle?" after another moment, he said, "Yes, I know. I'm very sorry. I know I should have called." He paused again, and then said, "Yes, please tell Esme I'm alright. But I need to talk to you Victoria-" And then he started speaking too quickly for me to understand him, pausing every once in a while to let Carlisle speak. Finally he said, "Thank you. I'll see you soon." And hung up. He turned to me. "You don't mind if my family comes to pick me up here, do you?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all. Are you driving to Forks?"

He nodded. "It will be faster and more efficient than running. Also, I think I'll need my family's help on this, and we need to, well, talk a few things over. They're not far from here." He shrugged. "It all just kind of worked out."

I found myself intensely glad that it was cloudy outside. "Okay."

He sat back down in the chair, and didn't relax. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. I picked up my book after a minute, and tossed him the remote. He stared at it, and then pressed the on button, turning to some mindless sitcom.

After a few more minutes, something occurred to me. I looked up from the book. "Hey Edward?"

"Yes, Emma?" He looked away from the television.

"What is it like? What is it like to be in love with someone who loves you back? What is it like to need someone so much that you couldn't live without them?"

He stared at me for a long moment, and then a smile spread across his face, the first one I had ever seen from him, and for just one moment the sadness, all that pain, it was gone. For just a moment, I realized why Bella had fallen in love with him, why she would never forget him. "It's amazing." He said. "It's wonderful. It makes you feel warm, comfortable, like perhaps there is a reason for living after all. It makes you happy. It made me happy, at least." And just like that, the sadness and pain were back, his smile faded to a look of determination. "I have to get her back." He said to himself.

I went back to my book, he went back to the sitcom, and for a few more moments we were quiet.

Maybe ten minutes later, I looked up from my book, and, in the same fashion, said, "Hey Edward?"

"Yes, Emma, what is it?" He turned to look at me again, a small look of humor on his face.

"Thank you." I told him, my voice sincere.

His humored look turned confused. "For what, dear?"

"For sharing with me." I said. "For telling me what happened. For listening to me while I had a mental breakdown. For talking to me. For… for being here, in this moment."

He smiled slightly. "Of course, Emma." He paused, and then added, "And thank you for making me realize my mistake."

"I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know." I replied, smiling as well. We both went back to our respective tasks.

No more than five minutes later, there was another quiet knock. I got up to answer the door. Standing there was a man no older than 30, with blonde hair and golden eyes. Carlisle.

"Hello." He said to me. "Is Edward here?" He then looked up, because at that moment Edward came up behind me. "Hello Edward."

"Carlisle," Edward said with another one of his rare smiles. A moment later, a maternal looking woman with long, caramel hair came up behind her husband. "Hi Mom." Edward said to her, sounding a bit guilty.

I stepped out of the way. "Would you like to come in for anything before you head off to Forks?" I asked. "You could use my computer to map out the fastest route."

Esme smiled at me. "That's very kind of you…" she looked up at Edward for a moment.

"Oh, forgive me, where are my manners?" Edward said. "Carlisle, Esme, this is Emma. You can thank her for making me come to my senses."

"I didn't tell him anything he didn't already know." I told them with a smile.

Edward smiled too. "You already said that."

I nodded. "Yes. That's because it's true."

Esme smiled at me, and said, "Thank you, dear, for bringing our son back to us."

I decided it would be rude to argue. "You're welcome, Esme. Would you like to come in and find the quickest route?"

They stepped into the house. "That sounds like a good idea. Where is the computer?" I showed it to them. They went to google maps, or MapQuest, I'm not sure which, and typed in the information. I went back to the hall by the door, where Edward was, and stood across from him.

"So." He said, breaking the silence.

"So." I replied, smiling.

"If we're ever in town again, we'll be sure to stop by." He promised.

I shook my head. "It's too dangerous. My parents will probably be home. I would have to explain to them why there's a coven of vampires at my door."

He nodded. "I figured that would be the case. I thought I'd offer anyway, though."

I nodded too. "Well, I mean, if I'm ever in Forks, I'll…"

He smiled, but it was his turn to shake his head. "Too dangerous. We'll probably be gone, anyway. I wouldn't recommend going to Forks."

I nodded. "_I_ figured _that_ would be the case."

"This is probably the last time we'll ever meet, Emma." He said, his tone carefully casual.

"I was about to say the same thing." I replied. "Our worlds shouldn't overlap."

"No." He said. "I suppose they shouldn't. Still, if you ever need anything…" He took out a pen he had in his pocket, and a piece of scrap paper, and wrote a number on it. "That's my cell phone. Any time you need a favor. You've done more for me, for us than you realize." He handed the paper to me.

"Thank you." I said, sticking it in my pocket. I vowed to only use it if all my other options were used up and I _really_ needed it. "And… if you ever need anything… someone logical to talk something out with…" I found a pen and a meaningless piece of paper and wrote my home number on it. "Don't hesitate to call."

He smiled slightly, and we put each of the numbers in our pockets, somehow at the same time. I chuckled slightly.

"Alright, we've got it." Carlisle and Esme came back into the room. They hadn't printed anything out, and I assumed that they had just memorized the information. "Come on, Edward, let's go."

"I'll be out in just a moment." He promised them.

"Goodbye, Emma, dear." Esme said. "And thank you again."

"Goodbye, Esme, Carlisle." I smiled. "And you're welcome."

They walked out the door, both smiling.

I looked at Edward again, and held out my hand. "Well, I guess this really is goodbye. So. Goodbye, Edward."

He took my hand, shook it up and down three times. "Goodbye, Emma."

We dropped out hand to our sides. "Good luck with Bella and Victoria."

"Thank you." He said.

"We'll very probably never meet again." I reminded him.

"Yes, you're right." He smiled, and started to turn toward the door. He was probably two steps away, when he stopped, and turned. "Oh, by the way… what you said earlier… I don't agree."

"What did I say?" I asked, confused.

"Anyone who doesn't see you as a beautiful, witty, intelligent young woman isn't worth your time, Emma." He said. "They're either completely blind or they're just kidding themselves."

"Thank you." I said. "Now, go save your girlfriend."

He nodded. "Until we meet again." He said as he opened the door, and then he stepped out, and closed said door behind him. I came to it, and locked it.

I sighed. And then, for no apparent reason, a smile spread across my face. I had done something extraordinary. I had probably saved Edward and Bella. Or maybe not. Maybe they would have been fine if I hadn't interfered. Either way they would be fine now.

I sighed again, this time happily, and headed toward the attic to get my project and the tape I had dropped, feeling very satisfied with myself. Things would be different now. I was sure of it.


End file.
